Maryland Renaissance Festival cracks down on illegal ticket resales
The Maryland Renaissance Festival (MDRF) said Thursday that it will be pursuing charges against ticket scalpers.
In a Facebook post, festival organizers asked their customers to bring any purchased tickets that were sold to them above face value, either on Stubhub or another third-party ticket-selling website.
"As of today, less than half of one percent of all 2025 season tickets have been scalped on these sites. MDRF is the sole seller of its event tickets, and we do not permit any other companies or individuals to sell our tickets," the post read.
Many seemingly frustrated Facebook users took to the platform to suggest in-person ticket sales at the gate.
Spike in interest
In August, WJZ reported on the festival after ticket seekers ran into longer-than-normal wait times when the event became available.
According to Jules Smith, the President of the MDRF, there was a peak in interest this year, challenging organizers with bots and scalpers.
One longtime Renaissance Festival attendee said she had never experienced such a long wait for tickets since she was a child, and at one point, there were more than 28,000 people ahead of her in line.
In 2024, Maryland passed an anti-spectacular ticketing law. However, scalpers — who often work in foreign countries and are difficult to track down — are still at it.
What is the Maryland Renaissance Festival?
The Maryland Renaissance Festival is an outdoor event set in the English Renaissance of the 16th century, where visitors can enjoy entertainment, food, and activities for adults and children.
According to their website, the tradition began in 1977.
